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Anne Ortlund
Anne Ortlund (December 3, 1923 – November 4, 2013) was an American author, and hymn writer whose ministry encouraged spiritual discipline and renewal among Christians worldwide. Born in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to U.S. Army Brigadier General Joseph B. Sweet and Bessie McCoy, she grew up in a military family, moving often before settling in California. She graduated from the University of Redlands with a music degree, where she met Ray Ortlund Sr. in 1944 at a prayer group, marrying him in 1946 after his Navy service in World War II. Ortlund’s preaching career unfolded alongside her husband’s pastoral work, notably at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena (1959–1979), where she served as organist and discipled over 270 women, while Ray preached on radio. Her sermons took form in over 20 books, including Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman (1977) and Children Are Wet Cement (1981), and hymns like “Macedonia,” chosen for Billy Graham’s 1966 Berlin Congress. After founding Renewal Ministries in 1979 with Ray, she preached globally, emphasizing personal holiness and family faith. Married to Raymond C. Ortlund Sr., with whom she had four children—Ray Jr., Nels, Margie, and Sherry—she died at age 89 in Costa Mesa, California, after battling kidney disease and bone cancer.
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Anne Ortlund preaches about the powerful symbolism of Jesus being lifted up like the bronze snake in the desert, emphasizing that by believing in Him, we receive eternal life. She highlights the approachable and tender nature of Jesus, inviting us to come to Him without fear but with faith. Anne encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the ultimate Healer and Savior, who brings us closer to God and offers us the gift of salvation through His sacrifice.
"Look . . . and Live" (Numbers 21:8)
There was a time when the Israelites in the desert had gotten into so much sin that God sent snakes among them to bite them, and many died. But then God said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived (Numbers 21:8-9). And Jesus -- the final, ultimate Healer -- told Nicodemus, Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15). But does Jesus, lifted up, seem too remote? Or does He intimidate you? I'm praying as I write that you'll understand just how personable He is. "Come to me," He says (Matthew 11:28). "Handle me, and see" (Luke 24:39, KJV). How tender He is, how unthreatening! He's wooing you, saying, "Don't be afraid; just believe" (Mark 5:36). He does not fight or shout; He does not raise His voice! He does not crush the weak or quench the smallest hope (Matthew 12:19, TLB). * * * * * God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, himself man, is between them to bring them together (1 Timothy 2:5, TLB). * * * * * So come, my friend, I came many years ago. You come, too. Let us draw near with a true heart, in absolute assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from a bad conscience (Hebrews 10:22, Moffatt). For Christ . . . suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18, KJV). For your personal salvation, what an "unspeakable gift" He is (2 Corinthians 9:15)! -- or as the Living Bible says, a "Gift too wonderful for words." Fix your eyes on Jesus. * * * * * There is no beauty to be discovered anywhere comparable to fixing your eyes on Jesus. There is no life-changing power available anywhere comparable to that gaze.
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Anne Ortlund (December 3, 1923 – November 4, 2013) was an American author, and hymn writer whose ministry encouraged spiritual discipline and renewal among Christians worldwide. Born in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to U.S. Army Brigadier General Joseph B. Sweet and Bessie McCoy, she grew up in a military family, moving often before settling in California. She graduated from the University of Redlands with a music degree, where she met Ray Ortlund Sr. in 1944 at a prayer group, marrying him in 1946 after his Navy service in World War II. Ortlund’s preaching career unfolded alongside her husband’s pastoral work, notably at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena (1959–1979), where she served as organist and discipled over 270 women, while Ray preached on radio. Her sermons took form in over 20 books, including Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman (1977) and Children Are Wet Cement (1981), and hymns like “Macedonia,” chosen for Billy Graham’s 1966 Berlin Congress. After founding Renewal Ministries in 1979 with Ray, she preached globally, emphasizing personal holiness and family faith. Married to Raymond C. Ortlund Sr., with whom she had four children—Ray Jr., Nels, Margie, and Sherry—she died at age 89 in Costa Mesa, California, after battling kidney disease and bone cancer.